


Dancing in the Rain

by hapgen



Series: Fine Arts AU [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, fine arts au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-04-18 05:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14206476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hapgen/pseuds/hapgen
Summary: Haruka Nanase was accepted into the best fine arts academy in the country. Now, if only he could focus on his studies and dance classes instead of the brunet pianist in the corner.





	1. Prologue

The day Haru switched from swimming to dancing was daunting. It wasn’t like he was scared to start something completely different than what he was used to, it was just the fact that he had to speak to his parents about it first. His mother would be fine with it (probably), but his dad... that would be a different story. He wanted Haru to do something that wasn’t dance. Something to do with masculinity, probably. Did Haru care? Not really. 

Quietly, Haru picked at the roasted vegetables on his plate. He didn’t know how to bring up the topic of “I hate swimming now that my best friend is in another prefecture, so can I try ballet instead?” since he had a feeling that it would interrupt the peaceful mood that was sitting over the dinner table. Yet, Haru knew that he had to bring it up. He could not swim anymore. 

His mom placed her fork down suddenly, bringing both her husband’s and Haru’s eyes to her. She took a deep, pensive breath, then looked straight at Haru.  
“Dear,” she began, “something is wrong. You’re playing with your food... again.”

Haru tsked in frustration and copied his mother’s terse actions. No better time than the present, he guessed. “I want to quit swimming.” He said, trying to ignore the shocked expressions on his parent’s faces. No one was breathing.

His dad hesitantly opened his mouth, looking at Haru with wide, blue eyes. He cleared his throat, “Haru, son, I think that’s a terrible idea. You have such a future ahead of you. Why give that up?”

There it was. Haru knew that his dad would question his motives. He looked down at his plate, the veggies staring him in the face. “I... I don’t like it anymore. I want to try something else.” He forced himself to speak, attempting to look his parents in the eyes once more.

His mother and father shared a look. Haru wasn’t sure what emotion was conveyed, but it seemed to be curiosity, or maybe confusion. He didn’t know. His mother sighed, “What do you want to try instead, dear?” 

“I want to try ballet.” He muttered, his hands tightening into fists. 

His mom leaned closer to him, straining to hear his words. “What was that?”

“I...” Haru took a deep breath before saying it louder, “I want to try ballet, Mom.”

His mother’s eyes sparkled in delight almost immediately. “Really, Haruka? You do? Oh, that’s wonderful! Keichi, did you hear that? Haruka said-”

“Yes, yes, I heard what he said. I don’t agree with it.” His father said, frowning. “Haruka, that’s not something a man should do. Stick with swimming.”

Haru’s mother glared at her husband, then turned to look at her son with a smile. “Don’t listen to your father. He’s stuck in his ways. If you want to try dancing, then that is fine with us.”

Haru let loose the breath his was holding. His mom usually had the final say in important matters like this, despite his father’s attempts to control Haru’s life much more than necessary. He appreciated his mother’s support, but he was worried. What if his father was right? Would he be throwing away his chance of having a successful swimming career? 

“You know,” his mother smiled fondly, “I danced when I was a child. I danced at a local studio, and I even got accepted into the Fine Arts Academy in Tokyo!” She looked away from everyone, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. “But, then I met your father. I quit dance and decided to finish high school. I put all my time and energy to get into a college for my business degree instead.”

Haru looked at his dad accusingly, and he responded with a shrug. “I never supported her decision. It secured our future, though.” His dad looked at Haru, his blue eyes showing how conflicted he was. “Haruka, if you want to dance, do it. You can always do the same thing your mother did, if need be.”

Better than a blatant no, Haru supposed. His dad was always a sucker for his mother’s opinions. He was very gullible in that sense.

Hence, he quit swimming and started dance classes nearly a week after the dinner table chat. He was with kids a year or two younger than him since he had to first take the beginner classes. Yet, after half a year of ballet, modern, and that Haru always assumed was improv, he was able to switch to the intermediate classes.  
Haru liked moving freely. His ballet classes made his movements strong and clear, just like the water. He would leap and turn through the air with no struggles whatsoever- in fact, he felt like he was always walking on water. His modern classes taught him other things besides the technical aspects of ballet- it taught him to go with the flow. Move without restraint (unless the choreography his instructor gave him said otherwise). However, the improv classes are what truly brought Haru into the dance scene. The need to listen and feel the music and its beat, rhythm, style... that is what made Haru feel like he could do anything he wanted to.

As time went on, Haru’s dancing style developed into a beautiful work of art. He could out-chaînés any dancer in the advanced classes, choreograph a more inspirational piece than any other choreographer, and could teach a student how to do a perfect glissade better than any instructor. He moved from studio to company, his parents trying to find one that could develop and nurture their son’s talent further.

One day, they got a letter in the mail from the Fine Arts Academy in Tokyo. The Nanases excitedly showed Haru the letter during dinner, explaining that this was the chance of a lifetime. The audition was simple: send in a ten-minute video that showcased: “Nanase Haruka’s talents, abilities, and strengths. Please include the information listed in this letter. The video is due by the end of the year.”

Of course, Haru had to try out. He would get away from his boring town that had nothing of interest to him. He would get to see things that he has never seen before... try new foods and see skyscrapers! Furthermore... he would get to be independent. That one thought spurred him on. Tirelessly, Haru worked hard on making the perfect audition video. He wanted them to see that he loved dance- that he ate, breathed, and vibrated _dance_. Every move he made during his audition video was full of passion and strength.

The day his parents got the acceptance letter was a happy one. Haru would go there as a second year and stay there till graduation (with visits to see his parents during breaks, which were optional). His “major,” as the school liked to call it, was ballet. Along with normal high school classes like math and science, Haru would also take two ballet classes during the day and one extra class of his choosing. He chose modern over the other options, simply because he didn’t care for jazz or tap. When his parents dropped him off at the campus (Haru was sure that they were struggling to hold back their tears, especially his mom, who saw her son pursuing a dream that she never got to truly pursue), they tucked him into a long and heartfelt embrace. Haru wanted to cry. He knew he would miss them. Yet, he didn’t cry. Instead, he hugged them closer.

-

Haru was dragging his bags into his dorm room, which was high-up on the second floor of the boys’ dorms. He was in Room 23A, so he was concerned about the fact that he had a roommate to deal with. Would he be kind? Quiet? Maybe if he was lucky, his roommate would just ignore him. Wouldn’t that be nice...

When Haru opened the door, he was met with blaring rock music (sounded American) and bright red suitcases littering the floor. From what Haru could tell, there was a foyer-type of room that branched off into a kitchenette, two hallways, and a living room. He could tell that it was a nice room, despite the fact that he could barely concentrate with the sounds filling the space.

As he stepped further into his dorm, he listened to the volume of the music quickly die down. Hurried footsteps came from the right hallway, revealing a red-faced teen with an equally red set of eyes and hair. He looked at Haru with a mix of embarrassment and excitement. “Hey! Sorry about that, I hope you didn’t knock or anything. My favorite band came out with a new album a week or two ago and I’ve been listening to it on repeat.” Haru’s roommate chuckled. He walked forward and extended his hand to Haru.

Haru looked at the inviting hand before carefully shaking it with his own. Each shake was like a battle for dominance, in his opinion. It was like a test to prove that he was good enough. He already felt like he had to tread carefully around this guy.

“I‘m Matsuoka Rin, but you can call me Rin. Just don’t use any, uh, nicknames or any crap like that, okay? Hate those.” Rin muttered, glaring at something off to the side.

Haru blinked in response while pulling in the rest of the luggage that was in the hallway. He shut the door and turned around, not surprised to see that Rin was already dragging his luggage towards the left hallway. Haru sped up to walk behind him, searching for what must be- His bedroom. It was dreadfully plain. He wondered if he would be allowed to paint it or decorate it in some way. After all, he would be living here for two years. Is he supposed to live in a room the size of a closet, with a twin bed and a desk (and what looked to be a cramped closet) for that long? No. He wanted blue walls, posters of his favorite musicians and dancers, and his best paintings on the wall. Not some tacky off-white paint. 

Rin watched as his roommate (he had to learn his name before the kid barred him from his bedroom, ugh) stared at the ugly room. Yes, it was ugly. Rin had already begun the restoration process on his side of the dorm. Black and red look great together! Especially on the walls. He cleared his throat and looked at his roommate expectantly. His roommate looked back at him with disinterest, his blue eyes conveying the idea that perhaps he wanted to be left alone. Rin was not going to accept that.

“So,” he began, “what’s your name?”

His roommate sighed. “Nanase Haruka. Call me Haru.”

Alright, short, sweet, and to the point. He already felt like they weren’t going to get along at all.

“Okay, Haru, what are you here for?” Rin leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, attempting to look cool and intimidating. He probably looked stupid, but whatever.

Haru looked at him with a raised eyebrow before dropping his duffel on the ground. “It’s not prison. I’m here for ballet.” He said as he pulled his luggage into the center of the room. Rin wondered what was in the five suitcases, but considering Haru’s personality so far, they were probably full of bricks.

“That’s what I meant, God.” Rin rolled his eyes, then playfully smiled. “I’m here for ballet too, but I’m also doing jazz. That’s my jam.” 

Haru nodded, unzipping his hoodie and tossing it on to the neatly-made bed. He made an annoyed face at the plain white sheets adorning the bed, which he just happened to discard on Rin while he was speaking.

“Haru, what the ever-living fuc-”

“Don’t curse in my room.” Haru paused, then smirked. “Bad vibes.”

“Bad vibes? You know what gives me bad vibes? Your attitude!”

“Glad we have something else in common, then.”

-

Haru did eventually change the sheets and properly settle into his new room. Rin had left the room in a huff after the argument, which had lasted for a good five minutes- until Haru pushed Rin out of his room.

(”Such a drama queen...” Haru muttered under his breath, which sent Rin into another frenzy. Thankfully, Haru was spared from his wrath because of the locked door separating the two.)

After freshening up, Haru grabbed his wallet, cell, and student ID off of his nightstand and left his room. He knew that there was some kind of orientation or welcoming ceremony that day, but he wasn’t sure where or when. He stepped into the living room, spotting Rin sitting on the couch and eating some chips. Rin took his eyes off of the soap opera playing on the television and glared at Haru. “What do you need? You’re interrupting my... uh, good vibes.” Rin said, not really understanding what he was saying. 

“When’s the ceremony?” Haru asked, not bothering to comment on Rin’s attitude. This year was going to be crap. Or... good. Depending on how he dealt with the drama queen.

Rin hummed thoughtfully, taking his hand out of the chip bag, “I think it starts at, um... six? I think. Why?” He asked as he wiped his hand off on his pants. Napkins are too expensive. Simultaneously, Haru and Rin looked at the clock attached to their microwave, watching the green “5:56″ flash. They looked back at each other with wide eyes, before scrambling for the door. 

“Oh my GOD.” Rin yelled, slamming the door behind them and beginning to race down the hallway.

They sprinted across the courtyard- hopefully towards what they assumed was the auditorium. No other students or faculty members were in sight, which left Haru and Rin alone and without guidance.

“Haru-! Haru, look, a map!” Rin pointed at a billboard in the center of the walkway. They jogged over to it, their harsh panting filling the quiet space around them. They hurriedly studied at the map, searching for the auditorium. 

Haru scanned it- there! It was near them, only a few yards away. “Rin, there.” He gasped. Rin nodded, then they set off towards the auditorium. Finally, they spotted it. A few students were still walking in, which made the exhausted duo relax their pace. 

Rin patted Haru on the back as they walked through the entrance. “That wasn’t too bad! A great bonding experience.” 

Haru glared at Rin out of the corner of his eye, not bothering to grace Rin with a response. He was too tired... replying was too much effort.

“My friend and sister saved us seats- yes, I told them that you’d be sitting with us, sorry.” Rin rolled his eyes at Haru’s huff. “They’re nice, promise.”

Haru followed Rin into the auditorium. As they stepped into the space, Haru became entranced with his surroundings. The auditorium was huge, with rows and rows of seats, and a beautiful balcony above. He spotted a pit for the orchestra, and- oh, the stage. The stage was absolutely breathtaking. A red curtain was resting on the sides, and the carefully swept wood was gleaming (which meant that it would be slippery, maybe they would put marley down when they performed on it). The spotlights pointed down on the stage and a few chairs, along with a microphone on the stand. Haru could already imagine himself leaping across the stage. 

A hand waved in front of his face. “Hey, Haru, if you’re done drooling over the stage, would you mind saying hi to my sister?” Rin interrupted Haru’s daydream. Haru glared at him sharply, before looking at the duo next to him. 

Haru saw a red-headed girl standing near Rin and- wow. A tall, intimidating man with a sharp teal gaze was glaring at him from the seats, his eyes never wavering from Haru’s. That’s someone to avoid.

Unknowingly interrupting Haru’s mental note taking, the girl smiled and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Matsuoka Kou, Rin’s sister. I’m here for ballet!”

Haru blinked in surprise, then shook her hand. She was much better at first impressions than her brother. “I’m Haru. I’m here for ballet, too.”

Rin grumbled, “Now you’re being nice. And her name is Gou.”

“It’s Kou!” She said, stomping her foot on top of her brother’s.

Rin yelped in surprise and shot a look at her. “Why would you do that?!”

She crossed her arms and narrowed her red eyes. “Because you’re being rude. Anyway, I didn’t stomp that hard. I wouldn’t purposefully hurt your foot.” She turned back at Haru, a small, sweet grin on her face.

“Anyway, I’m glad that you’re my brother’s roommate, Haru! Hopefully you can calm him down.” She ignored her brother’s protests (”I do NOT need calming down, Gou!”) and sat down in the aisle seat. She patted the spot next to her, which Haru gladly accepted.

Rin was still grumbling as sat down on Haru’s right, next to tall, cold, and intimidating. He bumped fists with said man (Haru felt a chill run down his spine), and smirked. “Oh, and this is Sousuke. He’s here for tap.” Rin said, pointing a thumb at Sousuke.

Haru nodded in greeting. Quietly, Sousuke returned the motion and set his gaze forward.

Rin’s eyes darted between the two as he settled down into his seat. “Okay...” He drawled out slowly, realizing that introducing them may have been a mistake. But, whatever. He would deal with the consequences later.

The auditorium lights dimmed down, causing the swarm of students to slowly begin to sit in their seats and quiet down. The stage lights brightened as a tall, stout woman walked out, her tall heels clicking against the wood. Her graying hair was tied into a tight bun, which made her appearance appear to be even colder. She tapped on the mic, causing a loud screech to echo throughout the room. Everyone covered their ears (except for Haru, he was used to tuning out loud noises that annoyed or bothered him) and watched the woman, who glared at the control box in the back.

She cleared her throat and began to speak. “Hello, students. I am the headmistress of the school, Ishikawa Chou. You will refer to me as Ishikawa-sama. I am here to oversee your well-being, along with making sure you complete this year and the rest of your high school years with excellence.” She scanned her eyes across the crowd, her grey eyes piercing every soul.

Haru already liked her.

“At the Fine Arts Academy of Tokyo, you are expected to get the best marks possible in your education while doing your absolute best in your majors. As you all know, there are three main sections here.”

The lights slowly turned on, focusing on the section on the far side of the room, away from Haru. “We have the music department, which is led by Sasabe Goro.” A man with yellow hair stepped onto the stage, his goatee and styled hair completely changing the atmosphere’s mood from nervous to curious. Everyone clapped as he stood behind Ishikawa-sama. Sasabe cheerfully waved at the audience, his grin emitting warmth and pleasantness. 

The lights moved on to the center section of seats. “Next, the design department, led by Tamura Mao.” An old woman walked on to the stage, her gray hair also tied into a meticulous bun. Her appearance, in contrast to Isikawa-sama, was one of gentleness. Haru assumed that Tamura was a kind woman.

Finally, the lights shined onto Haru’s section. His eyes squinted, trying to still see the stage clearly.

“Last but certainly not least, we have the dance department, led by Amakata Miho.” A young woman walked on stage, her presence emitting grace and beauty. She smiled and waved at the audience. Haru recognized that name from his school packet that he was reading last week- Amakata was going to be his teacher in a few of his classes, along with being his ballet and modern instructor. She must be a well-educated woman.

“Now we will briefly go over the rules. Please go over your packet that you received via email before the semester began.” Isikawa-sama said, giving the audience a knowing look. “We expect that you will be at your classes on time, if not a few minutes early. You may not have any electronics out during any classes, or they will be confiscated for the rest of the day. Good, orderly conduct is expected of you, as well. If you are out past curfew, are late to too many classes, or your instructors report any misconduct, you will be sent to detention. At worst, you will be suspended or expelled.”

A few mutters filled the crowd as the students discussed the rules, surprised at the strict regulations. However, Haru wasn’t surprised. This was an academy. You had to be a good student to be here. Everyone should have expected this... But, at least they didn’t have uniforms or anything.

“Also, please remember the dress code. Ladies, no need to wear skirts shorter than mid-thigh. Boys, no need to be walking around without a shirt.” Any grumbles in the crowd were met with a stern glare from the headmaster. “If you have any questions, please refer to your school packet or contact one of the faculty members.” Isikawa-sama rolled her shoulders back, then sighed. “That will be all. Please be in bed by eleven o’clock tonight and get a good night’s rest. Breakfast is at 8 in the morning.” She abruptly turned and walked off the stage.

Hesitantly, the students in the auditorium slowly began to clap as the rest of the faculty walked off the stage. Amakata and Sasabe were conversing with one another while gesturing excitedly to the crowd, while Tamura hobbled after them with a small grin on her face. Haru was in mid-clap when Rin roughly grabbed his forearm. He was pulled up and out of his seat and dragged out of the auditorium as quickly as possible. Haru stumbled over his feet and tore his arm out of Rin’s grasp as soon as they got outside.

“What was that for?” Haru hissed, rubbing his arm.

Rin winced apologetically, “Sorry. But, we had to get out of there. When everyone leaves, chaos ensues, you know what I mean?” 

Haru shrugged. No, he didn’t know. He didn’t come to the welcome tour or whatever they call it. This was the first time he was in a setting like that, actually.

Kou and Sousuke walked up to them, both of their appearances looking ruffled. Rin snorted, finding their appearance to be particularly hilarious, “What got you two?”

“Well,” Kou began, brushing off her shirt and pants, “I guess a few people ran into us on the way out. Observe.” She pointed to the entrance- which was now an exit, since it was full of students streaming out of the auditorium. The teens were practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. 

Sousuke rubbed his shoulder, “I think I ran into someone. Bumped them with my shoulder.”

Rin narrowed his eyes and carefully touched Sousuke’s shoulder. “Does it hurt? Enough to go to a nurse?”

He shook his head. “No, just sore.” Sousuke didn’t meet Rin’s concerned gaze. “Anyway, I need to get to my dorm. I haven’t met my roommate yet.”

Kou seemed to perk up at that. “Oh, yeah! I haven’t met mine, either! She’s a ballet student too, so we share most of our classes. I need to become friends with her.” She smirked in anticipation. “I’ll talk to you guys later!” She waved at them as she ran off towards the girl’s dorms.

They all waved back to her, suddenly feeling deprived of any happy energy. Quietly, Rin and Sousuke shared a look. Haru didn’t want to be a part of whatever was going to happen, so he simply turned around and began the trek back to his dorms. He heard Rin spluttering behind him while Sousuke chuckled (So they had that kind of friendship? Sure. Haru could sense the tension a mile away).

After a quick goodbye, Rin jogged up to Haru. “Hey, that was rude. You didn’t even say goodbye to him.”

Haru shrugged, “I’ll see him tomorrow. Anyway, he’s yours. I’m not going to bother him.”

That sent Rin into another spluttering frenzy, filled with sentences such as: “We are NOT like that!” or, “Why would you even THINK that?!” and, “That’s my best friend, there is no tension there whatsoever- Could you stop smirking?!”

Haru immediately headed towards his room once they entered their dorm. He mumbled a quiet goodnight to Rin, who replied similarly, and closed the door behind him. Not paying attention to his actions, Haru blindly changed out of his clothes and slipped into the covers.

He didn’t even remember his head hitting the pillow before his eyes shut.


	2. stay as calm as possible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru shrugged. He didn’t know the answer to that, but he didn’t mind. As long as it didn’t get in the way of his studies. He was here to dance. And, sadly, learn. He was content with the amount of- friends, that he already had. Although, Tachibana would be a fine addition. It’s not like they would become best friends or anything, so Haru felt comfortable with the idea of making one more. But, just one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! Here's the next chapter. We meet the rest of the cast and crew!
> 
> ALSO. A forewarning, Haru has some homesickness and a little bit of social anxiety (when you go from living in a rural town to a bustling school it can be stressful), so please be aware of that. If you are sensitive to minor anxiety attacks, please read at your own discretion!

_Beep, beep, beep._

The insistent blaring of Haru’s alarm bothered him so much that he slammed his hand onto his phone. He fumbled around, trying to turn it off without opening his eyes. After being unsuccessful in completing that task, Haru begrudgingly picked up his phone and held it in front of his face. The blue light bothered his cracked eyes as he swiped to turn the alarm off, and he sighed out of resentment. His phone was hunk of cheap, plastic crap. The frozen screen mockingly stared at him as he continued to try and to turn the alarm off, but to no avail.

Honestly? Too much effort.

Haru slowly pulled the covers off himself and sat up, all the while trying to rub the grogginess out of his face and eyes. Still annoyed with his shrill cell phone, he stood up and quietly padded over to the bathroom connected to his room. It was small, but it had everything he needed- other than a bathtub.

(Haru almost didn’t go to the academy because they didn’t have baths in the boys’ dorms. Once his parents heard about Haru’s plan, well, they banned him from the bathtub. It was incredibly hard to do, but they were able to wean him off baths enough for him to begrudgingly get used to taking showers instead.)

He peeled off his clothes from yesterday and stepped into the shower, turning on the warm water. He tilted his head up into the spray and sighed in relief. It was nice. Honestly, water reminded him of home. Even though this was city water (which meant it was impure), Haru still loved the feeling of water sliding on to his skin. He missed baths, but he missed the ocean even more. Sometimes he remembered the few years he participated in swimming lessons and competed. He misses it every once in a while, but he figured that he had more of a future in dance now. After all, he did make that choice long ago.

After quickly washing down and shampooing, Haru rinsed off and got out of the shower. He rubbed himself down with a rough white towel that he found in the sink’s cabinet (he forgot his own, oddly enough), and walked out of the bathroom. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to his closet, searching for his clothes for today. Haru was very meticulous when it came to what he was wearing. He liked to consider his style to be… “free-spirited, yet trendy.” Haru picked out a pair of light blue jeans, a white button-up shirt, and a blue shirt to wear underneath. Before putting those on, however, Haru also slipped on his tights and leotard. He wasn’t particularly fond of the clothes he had to wear for dance (it was extremely form fitting and got sticky easily), but he would rather not change before class. Instead, he would just have to strip and stuff his overclothes in his bag. No big deal.

Now that he was changed and ready for the day, Haru had to get his things together. He already had his school and dance bags ready, and his hair and teeth were brushed. What else could he do?

Oh. Yes. Breakfast.

He picked up his bags and essentials before heading out of his bedroom. As he walked into the kitchen, he looked at the green numbers on the microwave: “7:04.″ A good time! Haru felt pleased with himself as he set his bags down near the door and grabbed his apron. He tied it around his waist and went into the small refrigerator, reaching for his most prized possession: mackerel. At ease, Haru lightly seasoned the filet on both sides, heated up a cast iron pan and doused it in oil, then carefully laid the filet on the pan. He took care of the fish as he cooked it, before finally slipping it onto a paper plate. In excitement, Haru checked the time again: only 7:20! He was making great time. If he finished his food by the half hour, he could easily make it in time to his first class and pick out his seat.

Hence, Haru did exactly that. He finished his breakfast, brushed his teeth (again), and began to head out the door. It was 7:35, and right when Haru opened the door, he heard very loud thump from his dorm mate’s room.

“Oh my god-!” 

Haru stood in the entryway, watching in amusement as Rin ran out of his room with his day clothes barely on. His polo wasn’t buttoned, his pants were unzipped, and his hair was a mess. Furthermore, his bags were open, and his things were falling out left and right. Haru sighed and set his bags down. He wouldn’t be good roommate if he let Rin be this much of a mess, would he? But, if he didn’t help Rin, he could still make it to class early. Decisions, decisions…

A frustrated groan made Haru’s decision. He walked up to Rin, who was hurriedly stuffing toast in his mouth. At first, Rin chose to focus on his food instead of Haru, who was patiently waiting for Rin to _just look at him already_. Finally out of patience, Haru reached down and held up the two backpacks, giving Rin a questioning look.

Rin blinked, swallowing a mouthful. He did not appreciate fish boy rubbing his grubby hands all over his stuff. “Um, what?”

“Which one is for school?” Haru said. 

“Oh! It’s-” Rin took another bite, trying to hide his surprise, “it’s the red one, thanks, Haru.”

Haru nodded and set down the dance bag before picking up all of the folders and pencils to put in the school bag. Once he finished, he fixed up the dance bag’s contents as well. He turned to look at Rin, who was gulping down a glass of water.

“Ready to go?” He asked as he put away a loaf of bread that Rin had left out.

Once again, Rin blinked in shock. “…I just need to brush my teeth, hold on!” 

Haru walked back to the front door. In the end, he decided to help Rin out. Believe it or not, Haru wanted to be civil to his roommate. Maybe even… be friends. If he wanted to. 

Finally, Rin sped around the corner, looking more put together than he had before. He picked up his bags and swung them over his shoulders, but not before giving Haru a smile.

“Thanks for helping me out, Haru. I slept through my alarm.” Rin said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as they walked out the door. Haru hummed in reply, locking their dorm door.

They quietly walked to the school building on the campus. Haru decided to memorize the campus’ buildings after their confusion yesterday, so he looked at the map online during his breakfast. There were six buildings on campus, not including the dorms: the dance building, the music building, the design building, the auditorium and cafeteria, the education building, then the administration building. 

Rin pointed out the auditorium, noticing that some kids were walking in and out at a leisurely pace. “Why are they in there? Was there another meeting or something?” He asked.

Haru shook his head, “The cafeteria is in there, too.”

“Oh.” Rin nodded, pretending to know the answer. “Of course! They’re having breakfast."

Haru rolled his eyes and sped up his pace as he got closer to the education building. Only a few more yards…

“Haru- Oi! Slow down, will ya?!”

After another five minutes of having to listen to Rin complain about their friendship, Haru walked into his first class, which was English Literature. Of course, he chose to take the placement test and got placed into some of the more difficult classes, so he wasn’t looking all too forward to taking them. His English wasn’t the best- in all honestly, he wasn’t even sure how he placed into this class. He glanced around the room, searching for the perfect, unoccupied seat- yes. There it was. The best spot to sit! A chair resting in the back right corner, right by the windows. No one had taken that seat yet, nor had anyone else taken the chairs around it. Hopefully no one would… but, that was wishful thinking.

Yawning, Haru made his way over to seat and sat down, setting his bags by his feet. After this class he had math, then dance. Thankfully, he had lunch after dance, so he wouldn’t have to worry about carrying a snack around with him every day. The only thing he would have to worry about was finding a seat at lunch, but he could probably ask Kou if he could sit with her. She would most likely be sitting with her friends, who would be girls, but he wouldn’t mind that. That meant that he wouldn’t have to talk too much. Haru sighed. Today was going to be a long day. Every day was going to be a long day. He reached down and pulled out his notebook and pencil case, opening his notebook to the first page. Hastily, he scribbled down ‘Eng Lit, 1st Semester’, then waited for class to begin. After a few minutes, Haru began to feel boredom. He watched his classmates slowly file in. Everyone was chit-chatting, smiling, or yawning as they picked out their seats. 

Ten minutes later, a brunette woman with bright, amber-colored eyes flitted into the room. So, Haru was correct. Amakata-sensei was his teacher.

Amakata smiled pleasantly as she set her things down and began to write her name on the chalkboard. As she did so, the last of the students walked in. No one had yet to take the seat to Haru’s right, so he was thankful. No one could use him to cheat on exams or classwork. But, really, he spoke too soon. Haru was paying too much attention to the chalkboard and neglected to notice the student that was sitting next to him. In fact, he didn’t even notice the student heavily sitting down on their seat. 

“Good morning, class! I’m Amakata Miho, but you all can call me Miho-sensei. Most of you have all of your classes with me, so we may as well become well-acquainted!” She greeted the class with a wave.

The students all mumbled to one another, already pleased with their instructor.  
Miho clapped her hands together. “Alright, let’s settle down now. I’ll begin class ten minutes after 8:30, which gives you all plenty of time to show and look presentable.” She gave the class a knowing look. “My times as a high-schooler were rough, so I completely understand. But, even though I’m giving you this extra time, I do not expect any of you to be tardy. Understand?”

Everyone said yes, some whispers conveying how unfair it seemed. Haru thought that the extra ten minutes were great. More time to do homework before class.

“Now, let’s start with attendance.” Miho smiled and began to call out names.

Haru sat in his seat, his head resting in his palm. It was nice outside today, he noted. The sky was a bright blue, there were birds soaring through the sky, and everything seemed peaceful. If he closed his eyes, Haru could imagine himself back in his classroom in Iwatobi. Now that Haru thought about it, he actually missed Iwatobi. Even though he was near the sea, he was no where near as close to it as he was when he lived in Iwatobi. He could wake up early in the morning, take a deep breath, and smell the salty ocean air-

“Miss Nanase Haruka?”

He wanted to dive out of that window.

Instead, Haru raised his hand. “Here.” He replied. He probably looked as irritated as he felt. He did his best to ignore the annoying chuckles and giggles from his classmates.

Miho put a hand to her mouth. “Oh my, I’m so sorry Nanase-san.” She apologized. She probably felt worse than she sounded.

He shook his head, “No harm done.” That was a lie. He could already hear the jeers from the kids in his year. But, he was used to being called names, so that would be nothing new. 

“Miss- uh, no… Tachibana Makoto?” Miho corrected herself. 

Haru was startled when he heard someone next to him- on his right, in the seat that Haru could have sworn was empty- affirm his presence. Haru looked at the boy. Messy, unkempt brunet hair, tan skin, green eyes. A pretty ordinary teenager, honestly. The student looked slightly embarrassed, since he was about to be called “miss” as well, but he seemed to keep a calm composure. As Miho finished the attendance and began to start the lesson, Haru found himself glancing between the student, (”Tachibana.” Haru reminded himself,) the window that let in way too much sunshine, and Miho’s introduction to English Literature.

Math was equally boring. He got into one of the lower-ranked classes, so there were a few first years in there with him- as well as a couple of third years. No one wanted to admit what grade level they were in, until the math instructor (a tall, burly, and intimidating man with a cheerful disposition) had everyone stand up and introduce themselves. Haru had no qualms against standing up, muttering “Nanase Haruka. Second-year, ballet,” then sitting down, but the rest of the kids had a terrible time with it. A few of them were in his literature class, most notably Tachibana. Haru was poking at a pencil on his desk until he heard the chair next to him scratch across the floor. He looked up, only to see Tachibana- who happened to much taller than he expected.

“I’m T-tachibana Makoto, and I’m a second year. I, uh, play the piano, and I’m in the choir.” He smiled, a little shyly, and sat back down.

Haru’s interest was piqued. Was it the shyness radiating off the guy? Or, was it the fact that he played the piano? That meant that Tachibana had some class.

Yet, of course, he didn’t say anything to Tachibana. It’s not like Haru was out searching for friends. After all, he was at the academy to learn, not become buddy-buddy with every student that seemed… normal. Well, Haru became “friends” with Rin, and he’s weird, but he digresses. He could use a few normal people to hand out with. But, considering that Haru knew that he wasn't exactly normal himself, the chances of him making a friend that seemed normal were pretty slim. Anyway, did he care? No. Being normal was just another way of saying that something was average.

Math flew by pretty quick after the introductions. Next was ballet, which was the class Haru was looking the most forward to. He left math quickly, rushing to get to ballet before it started. He wanted to find a good place to put his bag, along with trying to get extra time to stretch and warm up. With dance still being relatively early in the day, Haru had to make sure his was warm and loose. When he found the dance room he was in, he realized that he wasn’t the only one that wanted to be early. There were a few other students milling about, some already dressed in their dance attire, and others were just chatting with their friends. 

And then there was Haru, who was standing in the doorway like an idiot. He snapped himself out of whatever stupor he was in and walked to the mirror before plopping his bags onto the ground. The wooden floors were swept clean but were obviously well-worn. He stripped out of his street clothes and reached into his dance bag to get out his slippers. As he slipped them on, he noticed Kou and Rin walking into the studio. At the same time, they noticed him sitting by himself.

Rin waved, “Hey, Haru! How were your classes?” He greeted as he sat down next to Haru. Both he and Kou were already in their dance attire. Rin had his hair pulled back into a small ponytail, while Kou had hers up in a braided bun.

Haru looked down at his worn dance shoes. He needed to clean them later. “They were alright. Yours?” He muttered absentmindedly.

Kou smiled, “Mine were great! All of my classes were with my roommate, Chigusa-chan, so I wasn’t lonely! But, they were a little boring.” 

“Yeah, I had mine with Sousuke. I have a great physics teacher, by the way. He’s entertaining, even when he began talking about… what’s it called? Kinetic energy, or something?” Confused, Rin scratched the top of his head. 

Haru scooched out onto the floor a little more, pulling his legs into a butterfly stretch. Kou happily sat beside him and began to stretch her ankles. She looked at her brother, who seemed disturbed over his lack of understanding of physics.

She giggled, “Too bad Sousuke isn’t here to help you, huh?”

Rin’s face turned bright red as he glared at his sister, “Shut up, Gou!”

“It’s Kou!” She yelled back, pouting in annoyance.

Haru watched them with amusement, not noticing the instructor walk in until she clapped her hands together. When she did so, Haru sighed in irritation. So much for warming up beforehand. He looked at the instructor, who, as he guessed, was Miho. 

“Hello, class! I am your dance instructor, Amakata Miho. I see a few familiar faces in the crowd, so you may recognize me from a few of your earlier classes.” She glanced across the classroom, taking in the odd characters around the room.

“Um, anyway, I’ll explain what will happen this semester.” Miho walked up to the piano resting in the corner, her eyes bright with excitement. “We will spend the first couple weeks of class getting to know one another and our skill sets. Everyone in here was placed in this class, Advanced Ballet I, by Ishikawa-sama herself. That is a huge honor, so give yourself a little round of applause.” She smiled and clapped her hands, the rest of the class hesitantly following suit.

Haru was concerned about the constant clapping, but he guessed that it must be some kind of complex Miho had.

“Great! After that, we will begin to choreograph pieces for the showcase at the end of the semester. Now, I understand that it may seem like a short period of time, but we have multiple classes a day and we see each other every day of the week, except for the weekends. We will have no problem setting up the showcase. It’s up to you to perform to the best of your ability!” Miho glanced around the room again, before looking at the piano.

“Um, our pianist is supposed to be here any minute, so go ahead and start stretching if you haven’t done so already. We start in five minutes!” 

Haru sighed again. Was this going to be a daily occurrence? Having to sit through ten minutes of chatter before class actually began? He already disliked it.

Rin poked him in the side, causing Haru to give him a sharp glare. In mock surprise, Rin held his arms up in surrender and rolled his eyes. “Can you not? I think your natural expression is a glare.”

Kou frowned, “That’s not a nice thing to say, Rin. Also, I haven’t seen Haru give you any mean looks!”

Rin simmered. On the other hand, Haru felt an immense amount of glee.

“Anyway,” Rin gritted out, “do you want to sit with us at lunch? Sousuke got a couple of… friends to sit with, and he invited us. No one wants to sit alone on their first day, you know?”

Haru contemplated this. Pros? He wouldn’t be sitting at a table all by himself. Cons? No peace and quiet. No room for his thoughts. He would probably have to share his food… “No.” He answered. The cons outweighed the pros.

Kou and Rin shared a thoughtful look. Haru was a tough nut to crack, for sure. How could they convince him to socialize? They glanced at Haru, then began to whisper amongst themselves. Instead of showing interest in the conversation that he obviously wasn’t meant to hear, Haru set his gaze towards the door of the studio. He watched as the door flew open and a hurried young man (who looked familiar, which was weird because Haru doesn’t usually care about appearances) rushed over to Miho. The papers that he was gripping on to were about to slip out of his hands.

Miho looked at him with surprise. She gently took the papers from him and scanned them, her brown eyes studying whatever was on those sheets. In approval, Miho nodded and gave the papers back to the students with a pleased grin on her face. The student looked relieved as he sat down in the piano bench, once again holding the papers that Miho had checked. He set them down above the keys and began to stretch out his hands.

Haru blinked. This was bothering him. The pianist looked familiar, but he couldn’t put a face with the name. 

“Alright! Let’s begin with a barre exercise. But, before we begin, this is our student pianist, who will be accompanying us for the semester. If he does well, he will be with us for the rest of the school year. Tachibana-san?” Miho smiled, beckoning for the student to stand up.

Oh. Yes. Tachibana, the guy who happens to share most of Haru’s classes and sits next to him. What were the odds?  
The student- Tachibana, Haru reminded himself- stood up and smiled. And, to Haru’s surprise and slight confusion, that smile made his stomach feel… odd. Like someone dropped a rock in it. He also felt hot all of the sudden. Was he getting sick? He would have to go to the nurse if he continued to feel this way after class.

Tachibana bowed, “H-hello, I’m Tachibana Makoto. I’m a second year, and I’m taking piano and organ classes here.” He looked away from the crowd for second, probably trying to find the right words to say. Shakily, Tachibana chuckled, “I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester!” Faster than Haru could blink, Tachibana was back in his seat, looking slightly embarrassed. 

Haru found himself internally cringing at the nervous behavior. Tachibana could have handled that better. He wasn’t even like that in their earlier classes, so why was he so nervous now?

“To the barre! Hurry, hurry!” Miho clapped her hands again, and Haru knew that by the end of the class that her hands were going to be red and raw from all that clapping. “Here is a quote that some of you may have heard before: ‘Who does not work neither shall he eat.’ Which means that whoever does not work hard will have to stay late and miss warm lunch!”

Hm. Haru stood up and raced over to barre, ignoring the surprised sounds from Rin and Kou. Now he just had to work through class. Then… then he could have warm, grilled mackerel. 

From the space behind him, Rin huffed. “Why are you so worked up? Don’t take her threat seriously! She can’t keep us here past 12-” Haru heard Rin squeak.  
Haru suddenly felt a sense of dread and turned to look at Rin, and was surprised to see him looking even more pale than usual. Miho stood next to him, a calm smile on her face. Actually, she didn’t look calm. Eerie was a better word for the unsettling expression she was making.

“Matsuoka-san, is it?” Rin nodded, looking as though he wanted to bolt out the door. “I suggest that you settle down and prepare for pliés, thank you.” They both watched as Miho glided towards the middle of the room. She rested her left hand on an extra space on the standalone barre.

“This excerise is simple. Demi, demi, grande. Port de bras forward and back, tendu to the side. Repeat that in second, third, fourth, fifth. Sous-sous, then turn towards the barre and prepare on the other side, repeat the exercise. Any questions?” Miho spoke quickly and precisely, scanning the room for any unsure students. Everyone seemed to be fine, so she continued.

“I expect sharp, powerful movements, but I also want to see musicality. I want to see how well you keep time.” Miho nodded, then briskly walked over to Tachibana, who was studiously doing his scales. She bent and whispered in his ear.

Haru watched as Tachibana smiled and nodded- he seemed confident. He seemed to have different attitude than during his introduction. Tachibana flared his fingers across the keys, then began to play a slow- _andante_ -piece. His fingers seemed to almost dance as he pressed down on each key. What was more interesting to Haru, however, was the small, content smile on Tachibana’s face.

Miho clapped her hands, “Five, six, seven, eight!”

And class began.  
-  
Haru slipped on his shoes and patiently waited for Miho to finish her “talk” with Rin. He had spoken throughout class time on various occasions (”How am I supposed to go from a sous-sous to a pas de chat? It makes no sense!” or “If Miho gives us one more exercise that involves a double pirouette I’m going to leave this room.”), which led to him being pulled aside after class.

Kou had left a few minutes earlier, saying that she would save a few chairs for them. She had been waiting for her brother, but once she saw that Miho wasn’t going to let Rin go for a good few minutes, she decided that it would be more productive for to go on ahead. Haru never agreed to sit with them, but it would be one less thing for him to think about once he got to the cafeteria.

Once Rin grumbled back over to put his overclothes on, Haru held back an annoyed sigh. The class wasn’t even that difficult. Challenging, yes, but Rin was over-exaggerating how difficult the class was. If Rin couldn’t do doubles properly, then how was he in advanced?

“I need to work on my turns.” Rin sighed as he straightened up from tying his shoes. “They were better last year when I auditioned, but I slacked off when I visited family friends in Australia.” Haru noticed how Rin spoke in an odd tone. It was almost like… he was disappointed in himself.

Haru immediately felt bad for him. “I can help.” He tensed up when Rin looked at him with slight surprise, “If you want.” The last part was added quickly, and Haru looked away from Rin’s grateful expression.

“That’d be great, Haru! Thanks.” Rin grinned and slung an arm around Haru’s shoulders. He ignored Haru’s glare. “Let’s get going! Hopefully the warm food isn’t cold yet, cause I wanted pizza for lunch. Or, maybe a hamburger. Whatever they’re serving, I’m eating!”

Haru let Rin lead him out of the room but neglected to watch where he was going. They were almost out of the room when he walked into- a wall? No, not a wall. Walls can’t squeak.

“Ow- oh, sorry about that!”

Haru knocked his shoulder against someone’s side. He glanced away from Rin’s forgiving smile and looked at the student he had run into, and was both surprised and not surprised to see Tachibana. The pianist stood there with his sheet music in his arms and an apologetic expression on his face. He looked like he was in a hurry, probably trying to meet up with friends in the cafeteria, but he continued to stand still. Tachibana straightened his glasses (when did he put those on?) and gave them a bashful smile.

Haru was startled out of his moment when Rin replied: “It’s no problem, dude. It happens.”

Tachibana sighed in relief, all of the tension in shoulders melting away, “Ah, thank you. I don’t want to make any enemies on my first day, you know?” He set his eyes on Haru, who felt like his chest was about to explode. Not in a bad way, but not in a good way, either. It felt… weird. His heart was fluttering. Tachibana’s eyes were very, very green.

Haru blinked and tilted his head. Tachibana said something, but he hadn’t heard it. It seemed as though Tachibana knew that Haru hadn’t heard him, so he repeated his question, “You’re Nanase-san, right? We share a lot of classes.”

Haru nodded. He was surprised that Tachibana remembered his name, let alone the fact that he sat next to him. It was weird. Tachibana smiled and waved. “Well, I’ll see you later. You too…?”  
Rin grin seemed to get bigger, “Matsuoka Rin. You are?”

“Tachibana Makoto.“ He walked out of the room and called back, “See you guys later!“

After Tachibana was out of sight, Haru and Rin left the classroom. Rin’s arm was no longer around Haru’s shoulders, in fact, it was dangling loosely at his side. “Haru… why are there so many,“ Rin paused, mentally searching for the right word, “nice, people at this school?”

Haru shrugged. He didn’t know, but he didn’t mind. As long as it didn’t get in the way of his studies. He was here to dance. And, sadly, learn. He was content with the amount of- friends, he already had. Although, Tachibana would be a fine addition. It’s not like they would become best friends or anything, so Haru felt comfortable with the idea of making one more one. But, just one. 

Hm.  
The cafeteria was already bustling with students. Haru found himself shocked into silence (not that anyone could tell) when Rin led him into the room, surprised with the amount of how many students there were. There didn’t seem to be as many at the orientation.  
“Rin-chan~!” A bright, sunshiny voice yelled from clear across the cafeteria. Rin seemed to simmer under the attention that was now on him, yet he still gripped on to Haru’s arm and led him towards a lone table near the windows. The windows were nearly as tall as the wall, letting in plenty of natural light for the lunchtime rush.  
However, Haru couldn’t remember if he said yes to Rin and Kou’s offer to sit with them. Did he say yes? Probably not. But, here he was. It was too late to back out now. He wrenched his arm out of Rin’s grasp (”I was about to let go, Haru, GOD.”) and looked at the people sitting at the table.

A curly-haired blond jumped up and wrapped his arms around Rin, who chuckled and hugged him back. The boy leaned back and gave him a large smile. “Hi Rin-chan! Long time no see!” He chirped, before turning his magenta eyes onto Haru.

Rin noticed the look and jabbed a thumb back at Haru, “This is Nanase Haruka, also known as Haru. He takes ballet with me. We’re also roommates.” He grinned proudly.

The boy oohed in response, then untangled himself from Rin’s arms and held a hand out to Haru: “Hi, Haru-chan! I’m Hazuki Nagisa, and I’m here for…”  
Hazuki held his arms out dramatically, quickly fanning his hands back and forth. Jazz hands? Oh.

“Musical theater!” Hazuki cheered, then shook Haru’s offered hand. “It’s nice to meet a fellow lover of the arts!”

Another student at the table cleared his throat, “Well, we are at a fine arts academy, Nagisa-kun.” He pushed up his red-rimmed glasses and nodded in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Nanase-senpai. I am Ryuugazaki Rei, and I am here for costume design.”

“Rei-chan is amazing with colors! He was chosen to help design the dance department’s costumes! It’s a really big honor!” Hazuki gushed as he plopped into the seat next to Ryuugazaki’s. “It’s not every day the faculty thinks you’re that amazing!”

Ryuugazaki blushed and fiddled with his hands. “I am not that amazing, but I am grateful for the opportunity I was given by the faculty-”

“Don’t be so humble, Rei-chan!”

This was tiring. There was already so much conversation, so many names to remember. These were the people that Rin and Kou associated themselves with? Well, they weren’t bad, but they were loud. Very loud. Haru sat down next to Rin, who had taken a seat across from Yamazaki earlier.

Haru looked at the rest of the table. A girl with her brunette hair tied into a messy bun was sitting a seat away from Yamazaki. She looked familiar- oh. She was looking at him. Delicately, she shyly waved at Haru.

“Erm, hello, Nanase-san. I’m Hanamura Chigusa- we’re in the same ballet class.” She mumbled as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

Honestly, Haru could barely hear her over the roar of the cafeteria, but he did understand the gist of what she said. Now he knew why she looked familiar- she was next to Kou for most of the class. Perhaps they shared other classes? 

“Chigusa-chan!” Speak of the devil, here she was. Kou was a mess, her hair knotted and loose, as she heavily panted. “Sorry, I had to run back to our room and get my lunch card, but then I realized that I had it in my bag!” She sat in the vacant spot next to Hanamura and sighed. “Silly me.”

Hanamura kindly patted her friend’s back. “It’s ok, Kou-chan. Take some breaths, now…”

Haru watched as the two smiled at each other fondly. They have only known each other for what… a day and half? Not even that, really. Haru was beginning to sense a pattern. Rin and Sousuke, Hazuki and Ryuugazaki, and now Kou and Hanamura. Why was everyone paired up? Did he miss a meeting or ceremony? An email? A memo? Did he even care? No, he didn’t.

Too deep in his thoughts, Haru barely registered the attendants walking around the room that scanned their lunch cards. He already had his out, so he simply let it dangle into the aisle for them to scan. In all honesty, he didn’t want whatever they were serving today. He would rather eat the food he had back at home, like grilled mackerel. It was a much more warm and pleasant dish than the lunch they were having here… most likely.

He rested his head on his free palm and scanned his eyes across the room, trying to find a clue on what exactly they would be eating. There was only one lunch period for the entire school and there were over 800 students, so Haru was having a difficult time seeing over the heads of everyone. For a split second he thought about standing up and walking to the serving counter, but then he realized- why? Why would he want to do that if could just sit here and wait for the answer to come to him?

He was already getting lazy. It was only the first day, too.

“Oi, Haru,” Rin said, snapping Haru out of his thoughts, “what do you want? They’re serving curry and rice or a lunch omelet.”

Once Haru finished serving Rin an annoyed glare, he looked up at the testy attendant, who was impatiently tapping his foot on the wooden floor.  
“Curry, please.” Haru answered, then leaned his head back on to the table.  
Even though Haru was back in his own headspace, he could vaguely hear Hazuki ordering both his and Ryuugazaki’s meals (”Nagisa-kun, I do not like omelets all that much-”) and Sousuke poking fun at Rin’s pickiness (”Omelet with no cheese, peppers, or chicken? That’s just egg, Rin.”). Kou and Hanamura were simply talking about something on their phones, which was of no importance to Haru. Actually, none of this was important to him. Why was he listening?

He sat up and rubbed his eyes with his palms. He already felt worn out from all of this noise and interaction. It wasn’t lunch that was annoying him the most, however. It was the entire school. Everything seemed to bothersome. But, he had to keep going. Haru was not living out only his dream, but also his mother’s. If not for himself, he had to persevere for his mom. He needed to continue to have a... positive outlook.

Blearily, he began to people-watch. Students were either happily chatting to one another or playing with their phones, with a few of them blasting music as well. All of them were dressed in fashionable, neat clothing. Haru felt like he fit in just fine. He was around students his age that appreciated the arts wanted to improve their work. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel out of place. There was a different air here than at home. 

Haru didn’t like thinking about emotions. He knew what excitement and sadness felt like, but other feelings were confusing. Annoyance, irritation, yes. He understood those. But, this heavy feeling on his chest was bothering him. Actually, he felt cold.

Quietly, he stood up and hefted both of his bags on to his shoulders. The group at the table looked at him in surprise. Rin began to stand, looking worried, “Haru, are you alright? You look a little pale-”

“I’m fine.” Haru cut him off, then let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. “I need to go get some fresh air.” 

Rin balked, startled by Haru’s change in demeanor, “Haru, hold on-”

Haru spun on his feet and walked off, not bothering to answer Rin’s calls for him. He needed to go outside and rest his head. The air in here was constricting. He walked around a few idle students that didn’t bother to move out of the way, and stepped through the glass doors. Once he got outside, he felt a weight fall off his shoulders. He felt a little better. His chest certainly wasn’t as tight as before.

He walked across the common areas and found a few benches near some trees. Exhausted, Haru set his bags on the ground and almost threw himself onto the park bench. He gave himself a moment to breathe.

What happened? 

All he felt was a pressure on his chest and his head. Haru rubbed his face again, trying to snap himself out of whatever stupor he was in. Was he still sick? He did feel unwell in dance. However, what happened to him in the cafeteria was different. In dance, his heart was in his stomach and he felt warm. Now, he felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Even a little bit… cold. 

What was wrong with him? 

Haru didn’t register the fact that someone had sat next to him, not until he heard someone quietly clear their throat. Startled, Haru’s head shot up and looked to his left, only to see Tachibana looking at him with worried eyes. Tachibana was sitting on the other side of the bench, which left plenty of distance between the two, yet Haru still felt on edge. 

Why was he so… bothered?

Carefully, Tachibana shifted a little closer. Haru felt himself cower away- not out of fear. Actually, Haru couldn’t say why he felt unnerved. He wasn’t scared of Tachibana. It must be the adrenaline. Thankfully, his fellow student seemed to notice his reaction and scooted back to where he was sitting.

“Um…” Tachibana said, idly folding his hands in his lap, “Sorry for scaring you. I just wanted to make sure that-” He paused and bit his lip, “Well, that you were okay. You look pale.”

Haru wouldn’t be surprised if he did. He felt sick. Maybe he has a fever? Maybe the flu? Haru hoped that it was just a cold, if anything.

Tachibana spoke again, “Do you need anything? Water, a nurse, aspirin? I-if you’re allergic to aspirin, I’m sure that I can find something else for you, it’s no problem-”

Haru felt a little annoyed by this guy’s persistence. He was alone out here for a reason. “I’m fine.” He said, not bothering to look up at Tachibana.

Nevertheless, he persisted. Tachibana probably frowned, considering the disapproving hum he made. “I’m sorry, Nanase-san, but I don’t want to leave you alone.” 

That caught Haru’s attention. He looked up to see Tachibana staring at him again. In fact, this time Tachibana didn’t look just worried, he looked determined. What was this guy’s problem?

Tachibana sat there for a moment longer, then nodded to himself. “Do you feel lightheaded?” He asked.

Haru shook his head no in response. Maybe if he answered Tachibana’s question he would just go away. Yet, his answer only spurred on more questions from Tachibana: “Do you feel tightness in chest? Or, can you breathe?”

Yes, he did. Haru slowly nodded, trying to take in a few breaths to calm himself down- Calm himself down? Was that the problem? Did he…

“Do you have anxiety?” Tachibana took a sharp breathe, “Sorry for asking that, but… if you do, I know how it feels. I, uh, can also help you, if you want?”  
At this point, Haru was tired of feeling like this. He had never felt like this before. Not even in dance classes years prior to this. Did he have anxiety? Was that it? He shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. If he had anxiety, he wanted to know a way to get rid of these feelings. He’s never felt like this before and he hates it.

Almost timidly, Haru glanced up at Tachibana.  
-  
Makoto was freaking out. He had happened to skip lunch because of… reasons, and saw someone sitting on the bench. Whoever it was looked tense, maybe even a little scared, so of course he had to check on the student. After all, what is something was seriously wrong? Makoto would never forgive himself if something happened to the guy.

So, imagine his surprise when he found out that Nanase Haruka, the ballet student that Kisumi raved about with Rin over the past few weeks, was curled up on the bench. He had a feeling that Nanase was quiet, perhaps a little shy, but didn’t guess that he could have anxiety. In fact, Makoto thought that even Nanase himself didn’t think that he had anxiety. Was it even that?

Makoto was not an expert. But, he did know how to help. So, here he was. Nanase was looking up at him with clouded, tense blue eyes. 

“Can you take some deep breaths with me? I know it’s weird, but it might help a little.” Makoto said, then took a slow, deep breath in. He was pleased to see Nanase mimic him, albeit a little hesitantly. They repeated this a few more times until Makoto noticed Nanase’s shoulders and back slowly rest against the back of the bench.

Nanase paused and looked away from Makoto again, suddenly seeming withdrawn.  
-  
Haru couldn’t believe that this happened. Tachibana was helping him breathe, of all things. Yes, Haru felt better. Yes, he could breathe without having the need to curl into a ball, but he felt incredibly… embarrassed. He felt the same way that he felt during dance, the ache in his chest and the heat on his cheeks. What was this?

He heard Tachibana shuffle closer on the bench again, and was surprised to feel a gentle hand on his shoulder. Quickly, he spun his head around and was met with wide green eyes.

“Sorry, sorry.” Tachibana picked his hand back up, “I’ll stop doing that, I guess.” He chuckled sheepishly, then smiled softly. “Are you doing okay now?”

Haru looked down at his hands. They weren’t balled into fists anymore, so he supposed that he felt better. However, he wished that this ache and warmth would go away. That was annoying, too. 

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Haru sighed, “Thanks.”

Tachibana looked shocked for a split-second, then smiled. Haru happened to notice that Tachibana had a red hue to his cheeks and neck. “It’s no problem, Nanase-san. I’m glad that you’re okay!”

Haru felt the urge to tell Tachibana that he wouldn’t have been okay without his help, but since Haru had already said thank you… it didn’t make sense to say something like that. 

“Um… Nanase-san…” Tachibana began, still a little pink in the cheeks. Haru thought that the hue suited his tan skin nicely. It was like the color of a peach. Hm... peaches. Haru did forget to eat.

Tachibana continued, unaware that he was losing Haru’s attention, “Would you be, ah, interested in sharing numbers? Our phone numbers, I mean. With each other.” He looked embarrassed to even ask that question.

In slight surprise, Haru studied Tachibana’s face for a second. This guy had come out of nowhere, sat next to him, and helped him work through whatever _emotions_ he had. Tachibana seemed to be a genuine miracle worker, with his messy brunet hair and kind green eyes. But, why would he want to share numbers?

“Why? Well…” Tachibana saw the unspoken question in the air,, “If you ever feel like that again, I can help you out. We do share most of our classes, too, so we could help each other with classes-” He paused and looked Haru straight in the eye, “But that’s only if you want to!”

Haru shrugged his shoulders. Pros? A potential good friend who has a, um, nice aesthetic. Learning how to cope with his new surroundings with someone he could feel at peace with. Cons? Haru ran through all the possibilities in his head. Tachibana was a little awkward, with his lack of confidence and bulky limbs. But even then, Tachibana had this odd warmth to him, which was something Haru could see himself becoming fond of. Also, there was something about Tachibana had that really interested him. They've only known each other for a few hours, really just five minutes, but Haru knew what he had to do. 

“Sure.” Haru answered and pulled out his phone from his pants’ pocket.

Tachibana quietly sighed, “I understand- wait, really?” His eyes brightened up and a smile lit up his features. “Great! Um, so my number is…”

As Haru typed Tachibana’s number into his contacts, he couldn’t help but notice how cheerful Tachibana looked. He wasn’t overly cheerful like that bouncy Hazuki kid (although, he did have his own charm), but he kept a calm smile on his face at all times. It was almost… serene, in a sense. 

Haru quickly texted something to Tachibana’s number:

_[To: Tachibana. Sent at 12:46.]_

_hi, it’s nanase_

Tachibana checked his phone and chuckled. “Short and sweet, huh?”

Haru pursed his lips together and huffed a breath through his nose. This guy was insufferable. 

“I’m kidding!” Happily, Tachibana grinned at Haru, his eyes filled with mirth. “I text like that too, but I like using emoticons. See?” He swiftly typed something on his phone, then eagerly looked up at Haru.

He felt his phone vibrate in his hands. 

_[From: Tachibana. Sent at 12:48.]_

_hello! ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ_

Haru blinked at his screen. Tachibana typed that up very fast- and it was a complicated emoticon, too. He looked up at Tachibana, who blushed in reply.

“I’m really good with my fingers, you know?”

Haru blinked again.

“B-because of piano! Piano! You know, I have to move my fingers fast, and…” Tachibana pitifully sighed, then glanced at his phone screen. “Sorry. Uh… Look at the time! Classes start again in a bit. What do you have next?”

That was hilarious, Haru thought to himself. He didn’t even think of Tachibana’s comment in that way. Anyway, what class did he have next? Haru racked his brain for his class schedule. He should print out a copy and carry it around. Maybe put it in his planner.

“World History.” He replied. One of the lower-ranked classes, but still a challenge. Or, so he heard, when Rin had mentioned it during their walk to the cafeteria.

Tachibana smile fell a bit. “I don’t have that. I have Physics.” He sighed pitifully, “I don’t know how I placed into it! I’m no good at science.”

Haru agreed. He wasn’t all that great with science either. “That’s too bad.”

“Yeah…” Tachibana stood up and held a hand out to Haru. He looked at the offered hand for a moment, before carefully taking it and standing up. When Haru let go of Tachibana’s hand, he felt this odd shiver shoot up his arm. Static electricity? Yeah, that’s it.

Haru picked up his bags and swung them over his shoulders. He looked up at Tachibana (who still had that warm, sincere smile) and took a deep breath. “Thanks. For earlier.” He said quietly.

Tachibana shrugged his backpack on, “No need to thank me, Nanase-san. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

They both looked at each other for a moment, feeling calmer and more collected than either one of them had felt today. A breeze ran through the courtyard, ruffling their hair and cooling off their warm faces. Suddenly, a bell rang, and students began to pour out of the cafeteria. Shocked out of his reverie, Tachibana almost jumped out of his skin in fright. 

All Haru felt was that odd feeling in his stomach again.

“W-we better get to class. See you later, Nanase-san!” Tachibana called as he began to jog away, his bag thumping against his back.

Haru waved, then began to leisurely walk in the same direction. He was going to be late for class whether he ran or not, so there was no point in putting in the effort to make it on time.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a list of everyone's art. The first art listed is their main focus, while the one in parenthesis is their extra class.
> 
> Haruka: Ballet (Modern)  
> Rin: Ballet (Jazz)  
> Gou: Ballet (Tap)  
> Sousuke: Tap (Jazz)  
> Nagisa: Musical Theater (Jazz)  
> Rei: Costume Design (Choir)  
> Makoto: Piano/Organ (Choir)


End file.
